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Broadway victim chases thieves, recovers iPad only to have it stolen again minutes later — UPDATE

It was not a very calming afternoon for the man working the front desk at Broadway’s Dreamscape Massage on Friday as he chased two electronics thieves for blocks to get back one stolen device only to lose it again when he was assaulted on his way back to the Broadway studio.

According to the SPD report on the incident, the victim came out of the back of the business around 3:30 Friday afternoon to find a male and female stealing an iPhone and an iPad that had been sitting on Dreamscape’s counter.


The victim told police he gave chase as the female ran down Broadway with the iPad and the male ran with her after grabbing the phone. The duo ran west on Roy before splitting up at Harvard where the male took of to the south. The victim continued chasing the female on Roy where she ditched the iPad, throwing it into the back of a parked pick-up truck.

The victim said he stopped chasing the female and retrieved the tablet from the truck and began walking back to the shop. As he approached Broadway, the victim told police he was confronted by three males who then assaulted him and stole the iPad, again. The victim could only provide a general description of his attackers as three black males but said he believes one of the assailants had been standing lookout outside Dreamscape during the original rip-off.

Police searched the area for the four black males and the black female in their early 20s but were not successful.

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BB
BB
11 years ago

I hope you had one.

upd
upd
11 years ago

They are just like a pack of animals. Very keen, and hunt in packs.

Eric
Eric
11 years ago

I’m really sorry for the loss and trauma to the business owner, and feel even more sorry for the kids, who will pay the consequences of such behavior for the rest of their lives, whether or not they’re caught by the law.

Meanwhile, I’m taking some lessons from this experience for my local small business:
1) encourage and support non-profits that offer alternatives for disenfranchised youth, such as the STARTS program ( http://www.cortonacafe.com) run by the owner of my neighbor business.
2) don’t leave electronics in a vulnerable spot
3) get a security camera

joe
joe
11 years ago

All iOS devices now have a find my iPad/iPhone locator built right into it. It’s actually pretty easy to track where you device is once it’s stolen.

lol
lol
11 years ago

true, but getting law enforcement to do anything about it, even armed with such info is another matter altogether

pl
pl
11 years ago

I don’t know about keen, just opportunistic.

BB
BB
11 years ago

You really shouldn’t feel sorry for these kids. They are making a conscious decision to steal and assault people. This could be a “flash rob” kind of thing that’s happening all over the country.

cap hill resident
11 years ago

i was walking up pine from the west lake transit center friday, and saw a group of people that fit this desciption smoking a blunt, hmm not really sure what to do though, there will always be criminals

oiseau
oiseau
11 years ago

But, BB, there was definitely a point in the life of these kids where they could have been steered down a different path. People don’t just turn to crime like this. There is a reason for this sort of behavior. Lot’s of young kids do this because of a truly messed up home life.

Youth outreach programs really do help. They provide a healthy environment for young people that might otherwise turn to crime (groups like this = surrogate families). It’s been proven over and over again that outreach programs successfully deter crime. Agreed that we should definitely fund the hell out of them.

Bitter Sylence
11 years ago

You feel more sorry for the kids? Wow. Just remember that when one of these knuckle draggers are raping you in the parking lot after work. It will pay for the consequences, whether or not it’s caught by the law.
1) You may be a little late going to your STARTS program, due to the hospital visit.
2) Don’t go outside. You will be in a vulnerable spot.
3) Get a security camera. That way, the nogs can steal it and post the whole thing on youtube.
Big dope.

Shaniqua
11 years ago

Re: Lessons: No, no, no. These are not “disenfranchised youths” or “disadvantaged kids” or any of the euphemistic names the liberal-dominated mainstream media give to these thugs. They’re ghetto trash, pure and simple. They’re stupid, violent, and animalistic, and if you continue to regard them as just mischievous children, don’t be surprised if the next one they come for is you.

calhoun
calhoun
11 years ago

I COMPLETELY agree. “Feeling sorry” for these criminals, as if they were the victims, is irrational thinking. I would only add that there are plenty of youths from dysfunctional/poor homes who do NOT commit crimes.

bob
bob
11 years ago

Nobody is that stupid….or are you?

johnny88
johnny88
11 years ago

very bad kids,,,

david
david
11 years ago

Where is the SPD during all this? they suck

BB
BB
11 years ago

Many people don’t seem to fathom this or have been brainwashed by PC thinking.

Kannibal
Kannibal
11 years ago

This group matches the description of some kids who would regularly break into cars in my old CD neighborhood over a year ago.

Looks like they got sick of used tape decks and burnt CD’s and are going after bigger fish.

David
11 years ago

First of all, we need to all get down on our knees and pray that these poor disenfranchised youth find some type of activity or after school program where they can develop some marketable skills. And yes, we must assist them, no matter the financial cost. The store owner, for example, might have taken that very special teachable moment (the stolen iPad) and offered to teach the youth how to use one in business or for educational purposes. He might even have been nice enough to just go ahead and donate the iPad to the youth so they could benefit from the special learning tools available as app’s on the iPad. Also, wouldn’t insurance cover the cost of a missing iPad anyway? Then the store owner could buy another iPad. Maybe even an iPad program for these poor and disadvantaged youth might be worth investing some time, energy and finances into. What do you think, Seattle business community? keep bashing and holding these disenfranchised youth down, or do something that can help them, perhaps start a program that can grow to magical heights. We must always have the faith and keep it real so that these youth, our future, can benefit.

Shaniqua
11 years ago

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!!!

oly
oly
11 years ago

oh my god. CHS deletes comments that are critical of the police, but leaves this racist garbage? knuckle draggers, rapists? way to show how disgustingly white supremacist capitol hill has become.

caphill@hotmail.com
11 years ago

You nuts?

Caphill@hotmail.com
11 years ago

Yeah David, everywhere all the time. You do it then. Somehow I think you may not be able to complete the training these guys go through. No, I am not an Officer, I do work for the city though.

http://www.seattle.gov/police/jobs/

calhoun
calhoun
11 years ago

I don’t think I have ever read such polyannish ideas….so much so that at first I thought you were being satirical. At the very least, these youths are opportunistic brats….and, more likely, they are hardened, amoral criminals. It’s ridiculous to think that giving (!) them the iPad would somehow magically change them….by that age, their attitudes are pretty fixed and will only go further downhill with time. They need prosecution and jail time, not rewards of gifts for their criminal behaviors.

pl
pl
11 years ago

Sarcasm missed.

Jose
11 years ago

The Police department has a camera mounted on the pole right at Roy and Broadway, looking right down Broadway. It is above were the old fountain was at the 700 Broadway Apts. Look up ..its the big prying eye in the sky that is watching you!

I have seen what it picks up and it looks right down on the street and can see both sides of the street. They watch it in the big command center on a HUGE screen. They see everything!

Why not ask them to review the tapes?

Also the Bank America right across the street has cameras mounted outside and I also see that the deluxe has a camera mounted outside as well. Someone should have video of this.